Zeekr to address big in-car complaint

Zeekr has heard your feedback and more of its cars will get tactile buttons and dials as it moves away from exclusively touchscreen-based controls.

Speaking to CarsGuide at a 7GT pre-launch event, the head of the company’s design studio in Shanghai, Javier Garcia-Gallardo said more buttons were “definitely” something that will be put into its cars going forward.

“For the 7GT’s predecessor, the 007 sedan, we didn’t have physical controls in the centre console. We got some feedback from the Chinese market back then, so when it came time to adjust it for the 7GT we knew it was something we had to change,” he explained.

“They add more functionality for the driver, but also a richer interior feeling at the same time. When we move up the line-up to the bigger cars like the 8X and 9X you can see more physical buttons are coming – so we are taking that feedback on.”

“Especially those more material customers who are looking at 8X and 9X, they appreciate those switches and buttons and not having to navigate through the touchscreen to adjust their seat or turn on message functions.”

“So for those kinds of features you’re going to be using very often, we’ve made sure they have a switch.”

Global markets now shaping Zeekr design

Buttons or not, one thing that sets Zeekr apart from its parent brand, Geely, is its unique and decidedly flashier software suite. Something Garcia-Gallardo said has been a huge benefit for the design team to integrate better into the overall feel of its cars.

“We have our own operating system exclusive for us and built from zero,” he said.

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“It’s taken a couple of years to get it where it is now, but we feel it’s at a point where it’s pretty good in the market. For sure, the design team has been one of the major stakeholders developing that.

“Being a platform product, the operating system has over the air updates extremely often, so it takes us a lot of manpower to curate and maintain its constant evolution.”

Garcia-Gallardo said Zeekr has evolved past its infancy as a spin-off from sister brand Lynk & Co, and it was set for some bigger changes as it aligns to a more global audience.

He said it was a challenge to design for the huge Chinese audience, while catering for global tastes.

“We need to design cars which appeal to all markets and balance those considerations and requirements.”

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“China is a big market for Zeekr, and one of the biggest overall markets in the world, so the demands of that market are extremely important, so we need to appeal to the Chinese market to keep growing and be financially stable.”

“As we mature as a company though it’s very important we bring global demands and requirements into the design program at the beginning.”

“This was happening less at the start because we didn’t have the same global footprint that we have today, but now that we have a stronger customer base we have a wider set of requirements.”

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He added customer and media feedback, as well as quirks of local market requirements like Australian Design Rules (ADRs) were “certainly part of my day-to-day design briefings”.

ADRs saw the animated LED bar across the front of the car deleted from the 7X and 7GT for the Australian market.

Zeekr brand allowed a lot of design autonomy in Geely Group

When asked how much freedom Zeekr’s designers have when it comes to its new models, Garcia-Gallardo said it was an essential pillar of the brand.

“The company trusts a lot in design, especially when it comes to defining proportions of the car, and its architecture. I think that’s what makes a car feel special at first glance. It’s those proportions which makes it feel like it doesn’t simply land in mainstream territory.”

He added Zeekr’s future updates and new-generation products would see its range more rationalised into its two main design languages, ‘Hidden Energy’ as worn by the 7X and 7GT, and ‘Powerful Elegance’ as worn by the 8X and 9X hybrid large SUVs.

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Design elements inherited from Lynk & Co, like the dual-DRLs still seen on the X small SUV and 009 people mover are set to be phased out over time.

Zeekr leaps up the charts in Australia, almost entirely thanks to its smash-hit 7X mid-size SUV. It has brought the brand some much needed momentum, which it hopes will be realised with the arrival of the fully electric 7GT sporty station wagon before the end of the year, and the introduction of the 8X and 9X hybrid large SUVs in 2027.

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